While on a train yesterday morning, I saw a plane. It was taking off from a nearby airport. I watched as it glided above the train through the fog then most mysteriously vanish in the heavy clouds that hung so low to the tracks. It was like a scene from a movie and I was the protagonist though the plot was still unknown to me. My anticipation of arriving in Chicago mixed with the excitement of just having witnessed this almost haunting occurrence filled me with ecstasy and made me want to hop out the window and start running at a full sprint to some awesome sound track like King Arthur or Lord of the Rings with Liam Neeson narrating the adventure.
As the train neared Union Station my heart suddenly began to race. My face burned and I gripped the edge of the seat until my fingers turned white. Not having been there since early May has caused me to miss the city something terrible. Willis (Sears) Tower stood like a beacon in the distance with its head lost in the clouds. I wanted to run to it and kiss it, but I didn't because that's just weird. The wheels on the tracks shrieked and the train swayed as it slowed. My stomach began to twist and by now my heart was beating so rapidly it hurt. The cityscape soon became the cement walls of the station and I drew in a deep breath. Legs suddenly weak, I couldn't stand right away: a most frustrating restraint on my already hyper body. Finally the train halted and I weaved through the crowd toward the exit.
As I emerged from the station on Adams, I inhaled a deep breath of frigid city air until it tickled my lungs and all of a sudden started laughing. I laughed hysterically. I even laughed until I cried. I don't much care to know what the people around me were thinking about my reaction. I stood on the bridge for a moment to regain my composure then began my prance up LaSalle. Something caught my attention from the corner of my eye and I quickly found myself over on Clark. Whilst frolicking through the concrete jungle, I spotted a woman through the window of a bank who appeared exhaustingly unamused so I stopped and waved at her like the Southwest Missourian goober that I am, but that's okay because she smiled and waved back. Eventually I reached my destination where I met up with my dear friends Jonathan and Curtis. After the exchanges of long awaited embraces, our adventures began: adventures like Mario Kart, the world's most beastly hamburgers, random YouTube videos, and Batman: the Dark Knight Rises.
The day ended all too quickly though it will forever be embedded in my memory. Saying goodbye was most tragic since I don't have a specific return date to look forward to, but rather than crying about it, I smile because it happened in the first place. So farewell, my beloved city, until our next meeting, and hello Springfield, Missouri tomorrow, for I also look forward to returning to the comfort of home.
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